Axle.



: n'rrnn eras INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 'lO ROSS GEAR AND TOOL COMPANY OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

DAVID E. ROSS, OI BROOKSTON,

mm came.

AXLE

Application filed September To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, DAVID E. Ross, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookston, in the county of White and State of In- 5 diana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Axles, oliwhich the following is a lull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the acwmpanying drawings.

This inven hicles, and for self-propelled vehicles, the object of the invention being the strengthening and ohcapening of the construction of such axlc s, and at the same time making it possible to assemble the driving devices for said axles with ease. I attain these objects by forming the axle in, one continuous piece, the cross section of the axle being in the form of an I-beam with the upper and lower sides extended at the center so as to give the necessary strength and clearance for the driving mechanism.

Referringto the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my axle, the cap plate for the driving mechanism being shown in position. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the center of Fig. 1 on the line 22; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through Fig 1 on the line 3-3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a clutch mechanism which I have shown applied to my axle; and Fig. 6 is a modification in which the spindles are separate from the other parts of the axle.

Taking up the description of the invention in detail, 1 represents a tubular portion of 10 lion relates to an axlei'or vethe axle whichextends from end to end there-- of, and has upon its opposite ends the spin.- 40 dies or bearings 2 for the vehicle wheels, one of said wheels being indicated in dotted lines at the right in Fig. 2. At the, inner ends of the spindles 2 there are cast, integrally with the remainder of the axle, flanges or disks 3, saiddisks forming means ol' attachment for braking devices which operate against the inner side of a flange on the hubs of the vehicle wheel, as indicated in Fig. 2. These braking devices may be of any suitable type, but, as shown, they consist of a split friction ring ment with the rocking member 5 carried by the disk 3, said member being rocked by a crank 6 and rod Specification of Letters Patent.

more particularly to the rear axle.

1 that is expanded into engagel liub of the vehicle wheel by a) Patented July 14', 1908.

11, 1906. Serial No. 33 L128.

7 that m of operating device.

Extending in vertical planes both above and below the tubular member 1 is a web 8, said. web connecting the tubular member at the center with the on flanges being at right angles tothe plane of the web, and extending on each side thereof, so that the flanges with the web form an I- beam. As shown in Fig. 1, the web 8 inter of the axle, so that the axle has the proper depth at the center to afford the necessary strength of construction, and at the same time give the proper clearance for the driving devices for the axle. vices may be of any desired type eled gears meshing with driving beweledpinions, or they may be a sprocket wheel driven by a chain. In the drawing 1 have indicated in dotted lin mechanism, the beveled gears being shown at It) and 11 and the driving pinions there'l'or at 12 and 13. In front o'lv these gears and their hubs, the web 8 is turned forwardly so as to form a housing at 14, said housing being or otherwise formed integrally with the web and the other portions of the axle structure. At the rear 01 the gears 10 and 11 the housing for the gears is formed of a cap plate 15 that is adapted to be bolte to the remainder of the axle, said cap late forming with the axle proper a receptae e for the gearing which may be made of suflicient such as bevtlicated in Fig. 2 is employed, the housing 14 1s provided on one of 1ts inner faces with a projecting ledge 16 within which a bearing for the inner end of the drive shaft may be formed. When a sprocket gear is emp however, this ledge would preferably be omitted.

The vehicle wheels are connected with the l not bc spcciiically del by the cap plate 15 is ay be attached to any suitable form ter flanges 9, said creases in depth from the disks 3 to the cen- These driving de- 7 0 es the former kind of driving cast l or otherwise secured tightness to contain oil within which the gears operate. When the form 0i gearlng mloyed,

h extend through the tu- 1O struction is shown lll my pending application 1( ceptacle for the of suificient size to pcrlnitt'he insertion from the rear of the drivlng mechanism,'so that in assembling the parts it is merely necessary to insert the driving mechanism and then inser the axle sections, after which the ca plate may be secured in position. It will vo course be understood that the hubs for the driving gears 10 and 11, 01' other driving mechan iorm one" part of a roller bearing, said rollers turning within the enlarged ortion 17 of the tubular part 1, and the hulidike extension 18 of the cap plate 15.

While it is believed that the structure shown and described is of ample strength, I contemplate extending truss or strengthening rods 19 from the flanged-disks 3 to the housing 14. Such a construction would be useful only in case a s rocket wheel construction is employed for riving.

Instead of forming the-spindles integrally with the remainder of the axle, they may be made of steel and forced into sockets cast in the ends of the axle propen- This modification is illustrated in 1* ig. 6 of the drawings.

I claim: I I 1. ,As a new article of manufacture, an axle made in the form of an I-beam, said'axle being formed of a single piece, and having a regears within the flanges of the I-beam. 2. As a new article of manufacture, an axle made in the form of an I-beam, said axle being cast in a single piece, and having a re 'ceptacle for the gears within the flanges of the I-beam.

3. As a new article of mantiiacture, an axle formed of a single piece and having exterior flanges connected by a Web so as to form in. cross section an I-beam, said axle increasing in depth from its ends to its center.

4. As anew article of manufacture, an axle cast in a single piece and having exterior flanges connected by a web so as to form in cross section an I-beam, said axle increasing in depth from its ends to its center.

'5. An axle formed of a single piece and having spindle bearings at its ends, disks at the inner cndof said spindle bearings, a web extending between said disks, said web being transferred for a portion of its length to form a housing for drive gears and flanges at the outer edges of said web..

6. An axle cast in a single piece and having spindle bearings at its ends, disks at the in-. ner end of said spindle bearings, a web ex tending between said'disks, said web being transferred for a portion of its length to form a housing for drive gears and flanges at the outer edges of said web. I

7 .An axle formed of a single piece and having a cross section in the sha )0 of an I- beam, with a housing integral wit the axle, on one surt'acefor the reception of the driving mechanism.

said spindles for containing the axle sections, i

a web extending in vertical plane from saidtubularportion, stren thening flanges at the outer edges of said we a housing projecting from the'c'enter of said web, in combination with a catrplate adapted to be secured to the faceof the web opposite said housing.

10. An axle castin a single piece and having at its opposite ends spindle bearings for the vehicle wheels, brake-supporting disks adjacent said spindle bearings, a tubular porr' tion in line with said spindles for containing the axle sections, a web extending in vertical plane from said-tubular portion,.strengthening flanges at the outer edges of said web, a housing projecting forwardly from the center of said web, in combination with a cap plate adapted to be secured to the rear facc'of the web op osite said housing.

11; n axlecast in a single piece and comprising spindlcs at its opposite ends, disks at the inner ends of said spindles, tubular portions in line with said s inches, for containing the axle sections, a we extending from said tubular portions in vertical plane, said web increasing in depth from its ends toward its center, a flange at the outer edgesot said web and forming therewith an I-beam, a housing for the driving mechanism cast on the side of said Web, a ledge cast within said housing, said ledge forming a bearing for a drive shaft. for the drivingmechanism and a cap plate cast separately from the axle st'rg tu1 e\and adapted to be secured thereto op'pii sit i hesaid housing, said cap plate forming Wi the housing a receptacle for the driving mechanism.

12, An axle cast in a single piece and comprising spindles at its opposite ends, disks at the inner ends of said spindles, tubular portions in line with said spindles for containing the axle sections, a web extending from said tubular portions in vertical plane, said web increasing in depth from its endtoward its bearing'ior a drive shaft for the driving mechanism, a cap plate castseparatclylrom the axle structure and adapted to be secured thereto opposite the said. housing said cap late forming with the housing a receptacle or the drlving mechanism, and a strengthening rod extending between said disks and the housing.

piece and haying a cross section in shape of in the presence of two Witnesses. an I-beem wlth the vertlcal Web transferred DAVID E, ROSS:

13. In an axle structure formed of a single In testimony whereof I affix my signature for a portion of its. length to form a housing t 5 for dnve gears, and a co placed on the side Witnesses:

of the web opposite the ousingto complete LYNN H. 'BORDNER,

the latter. e AUG, S. BORDNER. 

